This article is the
first of two installments focusing on the recently formed part-time faculty
union at Suffolk. Part two will be published next week for the Oct. 21 issue of
the Journal.

Posters with Rosie the Riveter have recently lined the walls
of Suffolk University buildings urging part-time faculty to join the Suffolk
Affiliated Faculty / American Association of University Professors (SAF/AAUP)
union. Kenneth Martin, photography professor and President of the Suffolk
chapter of the union, was instrumental in getting a contract negotiated between
the University and adjunct faculty, who, for three years, have been struggling
to come to an agreement.

Finally, the parties signed a Collective Bargaining Agreement,
which took affect Sept. 1 and adjusts salaries of part-time professors, gives
medical and dental coverage and specifies grievance policies, as well as other
major changes to part-time faculty rights and employment regulations.

According to the SAF/AAUP website, the contract adjusted
salaries of adjunct professors (now referred to as lecturers) by 30-45 percent,
a 65 percent premium coverage of medical and dental expenses and an elective
403b retirement plan for lecturers who have taught two classes per semester for
five or more years.

“For me, its been a great thing,” said Martin, smiling in his
office on the fourth floor of the Ridgeway building. “Close to half of the
lecturers in the university are joined.”

After nearly 25 years of teaching at Suffolk, Martin attended
an AAUP meeting and saw that there were others on campus who were thinking along
the same lines as he was, in terms of starting a union.

“I was motivated to stand up when others wouldn’t,” said
Martin who attributes his drive to being a photographer and artist. “And the
people who joined at first were artists, poets, writers, people from the English
and Philosophy departments… we decided, all these like-minds, we’re going to do
this and we did it.”

Before the union formed at Suffolk, all there was in regards
to adjunct faculty rights and regulations was a small handbook printed by the
university, that according to Martin, had no real input from the adjuncts, they
simply had to follow what it said.

Also, at that time, the adjuncts’ “pay lagged behind that of
other part-time faculty in the city” of Boston, according to an article
published on AAUP’s website.

With a team of other lecturers behind him, negotiators from
Emerson and Curry Colleges, as well as representatives from Suffolk, the team
sat down in July to negotiate the contract.

Divided into 25 parts, or Articles, the 23-page document
touches on such topics as academic freedom, workload, and promotion.

Promotions will now be divided into two levels: Lecturers, who
are professors who have taught in CAS for “fewer than twelve consecutive
semesters,” and Senior Lecturers, who have taught for “twelve or more
consecutive semesters.”

The pay difference between Lecturer and Senior Lecturer
fluctuates, but is close to a $1,000 gap per semester and is listed in the
Compensation section of the contract.

Martin sees only positives in the outcome of the contract,
even though some of the original ideas for the union were negotiated down.

“I see a lot of people with smiles on their faces, people are
thanking me, and every day there are more applications in my P.O. box,” said
Martin.

Since the contract was signed, the SAF/AAUP have concentrated
their efforts to convince more and more lecturers to sign up.
Posters, e-mails, newsletters and even face-to-face conversations are only some
of the ways Martin and others are attempting to get their colleagues to join the
union.

“The most important thing is that we’re in the midst of our
first membership drive,” said Martin. “There’s strength in numbers. We want
everyone to be involved. We’re happy, the university’s happy, we’re partners.”